Ceiling birds are back early this year, Quelmire/Thursby heads up (Quelmire)

Just a heads up for anyone in the Quelmire-Thursby corridor: the ceiling birds are migrating about two weeks ahead of schedule this year. I've been seeing them since Tuesday, mostly in clusters of 10-15, flying inverted just below the cloud line.

If you're new to the area: they're harmless. They fly upside down, they nest on the underside of overhangs, and they're protected under the Migratory Inversion Species Act so please don't bother them. They'll pass through in a week or so.

Two things to watch for. They shed downy feathers that fall UP, so if you see feathers rising from your yard, that's why, don't panic. And they're attracted to porch lights at dusk, so if you don't want a cluster on your awning, turn your lights off between 7 and 9 PM.

I counted forty-seven yesterday from my back deck. I keep a log. I have kept a log for nine years. This is the earliest they've arrived since the anomaly in 2022, which I also documented and nobody asked to see.